Russian Federation prepares for largest military exercise since cold war

"The war games have laid a foundation for China and Russian Federation to enhance cooperation on worldwide arena and will lift the combat proficiency of both sides", he said.

He said: "It fits into a pattern we have seen over time - a more assertive Russian Federation, increasing its defence budget and military presence".

President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend Vostok-2018 after hosting an economic forum in Russia's far eastern city Vladivostok where his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is one of the prominent guests.

The Chinese military has joined hundreds of thousands Russian troops to take part in the nation's largest ever war games - a powerful show of burgeoning military ties between Moscow and Beijing amid their tensions with the US.

Beijing is sending about 3,200 troops, 900 combat vehicles and 30 aircraft to join the drills at a firing range.

"China [also] has growing military capabilities and is playing an increasingly significant global role ... it's important for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to engage with China", she said.

Russian Federation will showcase some of its latest military hardware at Vostok-2018, including nuclear-capable Iskander missiles T-90 tanks and Su-35 fighter jets.

"These are very important drills but they are part of routine annual work to develop the armed forces", he told journalists.

Relations between the West and Russia sharply deteriorated after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and a pro-Russian rebellion broke out in eastern Ukraine.

With 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 vehicles, 1,000 aircraft and 80 ships, the Vostok 2018 exercises will be even bigger than the mock battles fought during the Cold War.

Vostock includes many smaller scale exercises that happen every year and obsolete equipment has also been put into use, apparently to inflate the war games size, Jack Watling, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), wrote in an article this month.

"Imagine 36,000 military vehicles moving at the same time: tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles - and all of this, of course, in conditions as close to a combat situation as possible", Shoigu said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last month said Russia's "ability to defend itself in the current worldwide situation is justified, essential and without alternative".

The drills are being held in Russia's Eastern and Central military districts, which encompass more than half of the country's territory.

Advertisement

Related Posts

Nintendo Direct to take place tomorrow, September 13
Obviously, you'll need to update in order to the Nintendo Switch eShop as well as Nintendo Switch Online . After the maintenance is complete, Nintendo Switch Online memberships will be available for purchase.

The Most Successful X Factor Winners
The song became an instant hit, selling over 1,25 million copies and this in the UK alone, yes , she was the winner of X Factor. M ore recently, “That’s My Goal” reached an outstanding total of 1.12m copies and this just in the UK factor.

Philippines, Hong Kong Brace for Super Typhoon Mangkhut
A typhoon may bring widespread damage such as uprooted trees and damage to infrastructure, according to PAGASA's forecast. The storm is expected to see some weakening as it enters Philippines but rainfall will be very heavy over these areas.

Meghan and Harry to visit Queensland next month
The Duke and Duchess will also attend the Invictus Games Sydney during their tour, which takes place between 20 and 27 October. A source told Stuff earlier in 2018 that they planned to cross the ditch for a royal tour of Aotearoa on about October 28.

NASA showed how it looks from space a hurricane "Florence"
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said the impact of the storm would be widespread, hitting the coast early Friday morning. Another view from astronaut Alexander Gerst of the eye of Hurricane Florence, posted to Twitter on September 12, 2018.

Top Resources for NAHQ CPHQ Exam
This is why it is highly crucial that you go through the exam content outline or exam objectives before you start your study. You don’t need to buy these guides; having one of them is enough to give you all you need to prepare for your test.

3 Secrets of Innovation Development by Max Polyakov
Also, the investor should never forget that even the biggest amount of invested resources doesn’t guarantee a success. One of the recent examples is the mass closing of brick-and-mortar shops in the USA because of Amazon’s popularity.